FDW2026 Designing Cities Symposium / Imagine: Public Space

TICKETS

$70 +booking fee

Concession tickets available:
Students and concession card holders can use code FDWCONCESSION for 20% off tickets.

CPD points
This event is ideal for built environment professionals, developers and decision-makers, as well as anyone with an interest in making cities better for people and the planet. Architects can earn 2 formal CPD points (form to be uploaded closer to the event).

Partner event
Lessons Learnt -The Freo Alternative Walking Tour is a morning walk prior to the Symposium. Together these two events make a valuable day of professional learning.

OPTIONAL MORNING EVENT
LESSONS LEARNT - THE FREMANTLE ALTERNATIVE WALKING TOUR / Friday 23 October 10am - 11.30am

The Freo Alternative was a ground-breaking approach to infill housing in established suburbs by the City of Fremantle.

First proposed in 2016, it was designed as a new way to meet the State Government’s infill development targets and limit urban sprawl, while protecting the amenity people valued in their neighbourhoods.

In 2019, ‘The Freo Alternative – Big Thinking About Small Housing’ won the Best Planning Idea – Small Project category at the Planning Institute Australia WA Awards for Planning Excellence.

A decade on, what have we learnt from the innovative idea? What worked, and what didn’t? How has this influenced the new Medium Density Codes?

Join former Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt on a walking tour of 3 completed Freo Alternative projects in Beaconsfield. We will meet with residents and visit the three projects before finishing with a short participatory workshop on lessons learnt.

FDW2026 DESIGNING CITIES SYMPOSIUM / IMAGINE: PUBLIC SPACE

FDW's third Designing Cities Symposium explores public space and its importance to the health and vibrancy of our cities. How is public space being imagined, here and around the globe? Locally, can resources be pooled to better address specific issues and amplify the benefits? A panel of expert speakers will offer different perspectives on the role and potential of public space, using real-world examples.

EVENT PROGRAM

12.30pm – Registration / viewing of exhibition Imagine: Material Stories

1pm - 1.45pm / Saying 'yes' - risk and reward
Sarah Booth (Spacemarket/Human-Urban/Fini Group) will reflect on her learnings from across Europe on her Churchill Fellowship. Why are public spaces critical to thriving cities, and how has Sarah's research been received and implemented locally? Who are the stakeholders, what is their role, and what has to happen for ideas to translate into action?

1.50pm - 2.30pm / Colour, place and space
Sonia van de Haar (Lymesmith, Canberra) will share examples of how colour can be used strategically to enhance the experience of cities for people. Colour can signify change, stimulate investment, create new identities and make public places more welcoming and accessible for all. 

2.30 - 2.50pm / Break

2.50pm - 3.30pm / Wonder Land
Dr Daniel Jan Martin shares his deep research into geography, biodiversity and place. Drawing on several local case studies, he will provide insights into the importance of urban corridors, and the holistic approach needed to put these initiatives in place to create a healthy future. 

3.35pm - 4.10pm / Panel conversation
The event concludes with a robust panel conversation. How can business-as-usual mechanisms such as percentage for art be deployed to make a real impact on our public spaces and cities more broadly? Our three speakers will be joined by Matthew McNeilly (Sirona), who will reference his work in Cantonment Street in Fremantle as the springboard for a wider conversation about investing back into the city.

4.10pm - 4.30pm / Audience questions

4.30pm- 5.30pm / Close and drinks

Image: Darcy Street Activation, Parramatta / Lymesmith / Doug Riley